In 1984 Houston Mayor Kathy Whitmire appointed a task force to study Buffalo Bayou and to develop a realistic strategy for its development. The result of the task force’s two-year effort was the Buffalo Bayou Master Plan, published in 1986. In addition to outlining conceptual redevelopment designs for Buffalo Bayou, the task force proposed the establishment of a non-profit authority to implement its recommendations. Created in 1986, the Buffalo Bayou Partnership is a coalition of civic, environmental, governmental and business representatives whose director nominees are confirmed by the Mayor of Houston and Harris County Judge. The 501 (c) (3) non-profit corporation is responsible for developing and facilitating improvements to the Buffalo Bayou greenway system.

In the past seven years, the Partnership has raised and leveraged over $45 million for improvements along a 10-mile stretch of Buffalo Bayou from Shepherd Dr. to the Turning Basin. These improvements have included a 20-year master plan, Buffalo Bayou and Beyond, three miles of trails east of downtown, Sesquicentennial Park, the North Side Trail, and the purchase of over 35 acres of land in the East End for park lands.